The proposal would make it easier for workers from all EU countries – including Brits – to use their right to work anywhere in Europe.

By helping make sure migrants are not paid less than UK workers for the same job, it will prevent migrants undercutting local workers.

EU law does not give “unemployed migrants” arriving from other EU countries the right to UK benefits.

Nothing would change in this respect under our proposal.

László Andor

European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affair

In a good example to other newspapers, The Sun published the letter without the kind of distorting editing of our right to reply that we have often seen in the past from several newspapers (see earlier posts). We thank them for this

It would be nice to think all media would now stop regurgitating the fallacy that EU rules mean EU migrants can turn up in the UK and immediately claim out of work benefits.

EU rules say nothing of the sort and the frequent repetition of this claim by many media and other sources has meant the public has been misinformed on what is a very important current debate in parliament and in the country.

The real facts – on all types of benefits and EU rules on them, as well as the limits to the right of free movement itself – are here:

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Please note that all statements in all entries were correct on the date of publication given. However, older archived posts are not systematically updated in the light of later developments, for example changes to EU law.